and a good saturday afternoon to you. i'm craig melvin. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. 31 days until we reach the fiscal cliff. we'll get the latest on who is talking to whom and whether they're going to take us to the edge. also, who is lindsey graham calling, quote, crazy bastards on the senate floor?

here is a hint. it all has to do with guantanamo bay and with the resignation of jesse jackson jr. from the halls of congress, what will become of the legacy of his famous father? we'll talk about that as well. we start here. the republican thrashing of the president's potential pick for secretary of state continued this week. ambassador susan rice did not seem to do herself any favors. meetings with top republicans on the hill, with several says their discussions left them more troubled. president obama and this cabinet stood by her. >> mrs. rice is extraordinary. i couldn't be prouder of the job that she has done. [ applause ] >> and joining me now from the white house, nbc news correspondent viqueira. vic, will the gop continue its pile-on of the ambassador? will it have the opposite effect of hardening the president and daring him essentially to select her for secretary of state perhaps? >> well, you know, it's hard to say exactly what is going through the president's mind at this point.

a lot of people think that he is really under the gun to make an appointment, but hillary clinton is still the secretary of state. he may have some time yet. perhaps even as much as a month or up to the inauguration on january 20th. so there is that. second of all, susan rice made that pilgrimage, if you will, up to the senate after all the criticism that she got from john mccain and lindsey graham and other key republican senators after her appearance on the sunday shows talking about the incident in benghazi. they were so angry because they say she disseminated false information about the causes of that attack. we all know the story there. we don't need to rehash it. she was given these talking points by the intelligence community. she was merely saying what they had instructed her to say. but the senators, these republican senators blamed her for using them when they say she knew they were false. she has clearance, security clearance, she had access to what had actually happened, or at least the best judgment for the classified material at that time. be that as it may, she made that

trip up to capitol hill. john mccain, lindsey graham still rather forthright in their opposition, but really raised a red flag with the white house was a moderate like susan collins or bob corker expressing serious reservations. while not saying they would oppose any nomination were to it come. one of the strangest things that came out of the entire week of the spectacle of going back and forth were all the republicans that came out and were endorsing john kerry. the senator from massachusetts who is known to actually want the job. >> viqueira from the white house on this saturday, thanks. >> okay. the controversy over susan rice and her possible nomination as secretary of state continues to grow. many republicans, as you just heard there staunchly opposed ambassador rice. the opposition stems from comments she made on sunday talk shows after the september attacks on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. and now there are new questions about a possible conflict of interest. let's bring in congressman gregory meeks, democrat from new

york. also a member of the house foreign affairs committee. thanks for swinging by on this saturday afternoon, congressman. >> good being with you, craig. >> first of all, is ambassador rice, is she the candidate that you would like to see put forth? >> ambassador vice a brilliant woman. i've known her for a while. she is from the clinton administration. i've senn her work. she is a rhodes scholar. she has done excellent work as the u.n. ambassador. i think she would be a great secretary of state. >> do you think that she is the woman who ends up getting nominated, or do you think at the end of the day we'll end up seeing someone perhaps like a john kerry? >> that's up to the president of the united states, of course. but i would say he has a wide selection of individuals to choose from. but susan rice would be on the very top of my list, that's for sure. >> what do you make of all of this opposition? do you think that some of it is legitimate? >> i think that it has to be something has to be personal or the fact that john mccain lost the presidency or something of that nature. >> really? >> when you think of it, think

of what condoleezza rice, when she was the secretary of state and some of the things that she said and weapons of mass destruction, something that was very devastating to us as a country, took us into two wars. and i didn't hear john mccain or lindsey graham or anybody saying anything then. so to be talking about this when susan rice had absolutely nothing to do with the decisions in regard to what the security should have been or shouldn't have been in benghazi, to try to put the blame on her now, it seems incredible that they continue with this line of criticism. >> here is the latest possible wrinkle for the ambassador. some environmental groups now are being critical of ambassador rice over some holdings that she has in canadian oil companies. she could stand to profit if the keystone pipeline is built, apparently. this is according to open secrets.org. she owns between 300,000 and $600,000 in transcanada stock. should she -- should she divest herself of those holdings at this point? >> look, that's a nonissue. nobody talked about the fact

that dick cheney had so much in halliburton when he was vice president of the united states or when he was running. so now to come up with this with reference to condoleezza rice is almost a joke to me. plenty of things she could do if in fact she became the secretary of state. she could put it in a blind trust. she could sell if she wants. this is a nonissue to start. with. >> congressman gregory meeks, always appreciate you, simple. thank you for swinging by. come back. we do this every saturday. any time you want to swing by and spend time with us. >> i'll definitely do that. violent protests delayed the inauguration of mexico's new president earlier today. take a look at what unfolded there in the streets. officials there say more than 2500 people took to the streets of mexico city, just a few blocks from where the new president was set to be sworn in. we're told that three protesters were hurt in clashes with police. one student is reportedly in critical condition there. demonstrators are accusing pena nieto of using bribery to win

the election. those protesters were eventually dispersed and the new president was sworn in today. i want to bring in telemundo's julio vaquero from mexico city. mexico looking to boost its ties with the united states economically. what areas specifically are they trying to work on? >> hello, craig. it's a pleasure to be with you. well, these representative the beginning of a six-year term in which this new administration has said it has plans to create more steps to accelerate economy in the first place, to reduce the violence related to the war on drugs, and also to create a stronger ties with the united states. the concentration is very specifically on the economy. they believe, the new president enrique nieto believes a strong

economy, the creation of new well paid jobs will reduce the violence since younger people will have more opportunities in the country. so that's the focus, where the focus is. >> telemundo's julio viquiero, thank you. this 47% have a different view about a different topic, this year's election. and -- >> controlled facility to bring these crazy bastards that want to kill us all to the united states. >> what drove this south carolina senator to call one group of people a name like that? all the answers coming up. you're watching msnbc. ♪ does that make me crazy ♪ does that make me crazy lega? at legalzoom, we've created a better place to handle your legal needs. maybe you have questions about incorporating a business you'd like to start. or questions about protecting your family with a will or living trust.

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the west coast is bracing for more stormy weather. residents in northern california made preparations as rise river waters started to threaten their homes. for the latest, let's go straight to the weather channel's chris warren. he is in truckee, california. chris, how bad is it expected to get out there? >> well, from what we understand, it's going to get to major flood stage. this is the truckee river right here. it is below any kind of flood stage right now. but what residents tell me, what they're expecting based on the forecast of major flooding by tomorrow, you see that rock over here in the middle of the river. they're expecting the river to be over that rock. >> wow. >> by tomorrow when it does flood. to give you a perspective of where we are in relation to that and the reason why so many people are getting ready, and it is possible. it's not a guarantee that we're going to have significant damage. but they're saying, the forecast is saying for possible minor damage to some of the homes. this is pretty close.

you have people out here with sandbags. they have a bobcat. they're shoring up the side a little bit. so they are expecting it to get high there is a wild card with the flooding here. and that is if you see propane tanks or piles of wood that they have stockpiled for firewood get pulled down the river and they dam up. you could have some unpredictable flooding. but at this point, flooding of the rivers is one of the concerns with the big storm that moving in. this is number three out of a system that started on wednesday. we had the other one thursday night and friday. and then overnight tonight and tomorrow hammering the west coast, especially from the bay area all the way up to the oregon border and into the mountains going to see significant rainfall. and that could lead to mud slides, and also some localized flooding. so it could potentially be dangerous just to be out on the roads. and also you have to count in too there is going to be strong winds. and once again, there could be more power outages. back to you. >> chris warren from the weather channel, chris, thank you. back to politics now. time now for one more helping of trail mix. and we're letting this one go to pot.

as in weed. so if you're someone who is prone to the munchies, so to speak, this story may be of interest to you there is a new poll out. it shows for the first time ever an even split amongst americans about whether marijuana should be legal. 47% of 47%. not exactly an even split there is the 3% on either side there. it seems rather dubious i suppose. speaking of dubious, congress on the brink of being branded as the least productive governing body to oversee our country since the 1940s. the last time congress earned that kind of rep, the 104th congress. that was 1995-1996. they passed 333 bills into law, with just weeks to go, the 112th congress has passed only 196 bills into law. many of those bills ceremonial. so in order to beat the 104th, the 112th congress has to pass 138 more bills.

it's a lot of numbers. that's why we put them on the screen there. they also have to help us avoid the fiscal cliff. as if that was not bad enough, according to a recent gallup poll, only 18% of americans say they approve of the job that lawmakers are doing on capitol hill. and does the republican party's hope for 2016 lie deep in the heart of texas? that's the buzz about state senator-elect ted cruz, who says the gop needs to be more articulate in its message and rebrand itself under a banner he calls, quote, and remember these words. you'll hear them again, "opportunity conservatism." opportunity conservatism. even though his second inauguration is weeks away, president obama is prepping for another campaign. this one to raise money to build his official library. presidential libraries are a chance for every leader of the free world to shape his or her legacy. while it's an honorable project, it takes years of planning and a whole lot of money to do it.

well, could the end be near? new indications the administration sees the end of the war on terror. what does that mean for detainees at guantanamo bay? we'll have that next. is a unive. but when i was in an accident... i was worried the health care system spoke a language all its own with unitedhealthcare, i got help that fit my life. information on my phone. connection to doctors who get where i'm from. and tools to estimate what my care may cost. so i never missed a beat. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left.

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because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ simply stated, the american people don't want to close guantanamo bay, which is an isolated military control facility to bring these crazy bastards that want to kill us all to the united states. >> i ask that we step up today and support an ancient tradition. and i worry about a country who would let a tradition like the right of trial by jury go so easily. >> senators on the senate floor thursday whether detainees should be transferred to the united states. the senate did end up voting to block the transfer. it comes after a new study found that the united states could

safely transfer detainees to u.s. prisons without compromising national security. meanwhile, the defense department's top lawyers said yesterday that the war on terror is essentially not an endless fight, and that we're approaching a tipping point with al qaeda on the run. >> al qaeda's core has been degraded, leaving al qaeda more decentralized. and most terroristic activity now conducted by local franchises. >> joining me now chris anders from the american civil liberties union. chris, good afternoon to you. first of all, let me get your response to that new study commissioned by california senator dianne feinstein. >> well, it confirms what we have known for a long time, which is that there is enough space, there is enough facilities in the united states to bring people from guantanamo here to be tried before regular federal criminal courts, courts that have had over 400 convictions of people tried and convicted for terrorism-related offenses. big-time -- big-time terrorism

defendants who are convicted and are serving serious times. those people can be held securely here after trial, if they're convicted. and there is plenty of room for them in the federal criminal system. and that gao study confirmed that. >> is the opposition to this point, is the opposition primarily because such a move would be unprecedented? >> well, i think this whole opposition seems to have gotten out of control. i think senator rand paul did a very -- a republican, a tea party republican did a very good job of responding to that crazy bastards comment. because what he said on the senate floor, he said look, even a crazy bastard has a right to be tried before being put in prison for the rest of their lives. and that's a very fundamental american value. it's a value that seems to have gotten lost with guantanamo. it's also one of the things that i think a lot of people don't realize is for all senator graham talking about what a

great prison guantanamo is, the american taxpayers are paying $85 million per year to hold 163 people. half of them have already been cleared for release. that's over half a million dollars per prisoner. in the federal prison system, even for maximum security, it's more in the range of 35 to $40,000 to hold a prisoner. so we're paying over ten times per prisoner to hold people. and a lot of these people are purely innocent. the entire national security apparatus has said there is no reason they should be held, they should be cleared. that's over half the people there. >> you recently wrote an article that said don't be fooled by the new national defense act. was it not a good compromise? >> this is something where unfortunately senator feinstein, who really comes from a good place on this, has been working really hard on this ended up with a badly drafted amendment. and unfortunately, it's going to cause more problems for people

and the chances and americans and other people in the united states being put into indefinite detention without charge or trial. the military operating on american soil. so we're hoping that that gets fixed. as it goes to conference. just to show how bad senator feinstein's amendment was drafted, senator graham, who you just saw and is one of the leaderers in this idea that people, even american citizens should be held without charge or trial, he ended up voting for senator feinstein's amendment. so it was -- i think a well-intentioned idea by senator feinstein, but very poorly written. and it's something that should be taken out of conference or be part of the overall veto that we hope president obama will do with this bill if these provisions are in it. >> chris, how would you characterize the president's leadership with regards to guantanamo bay? >> well, you know what? he has -- he has a lot of work

to do and some key decision points he is going to have. and you talked a little bit before about his presidential library and his legacy. well, his legacy on this is going to be an important part of that presidential library. and he's going to have to make a key decision with this defense bill. if this has these transfer restrictions, it's going to block guantanamo from being closed for the next year and maybe potentially for the rest of his presidency, he is going to have to veto it. and that's a big deal for any president to do. but it's something that if this means something to him, he is going to have to do that. it's going to affect the rest of his presidency. but that's a decision that is going to have to be made in the next couple of weeks. >> i want to get your opinion while i have you here. it's something i've spent a lot of time talking to other folks about and what could very well end up being a major part of this president's legacy as well. the use of drone strikes. if al qaeda is diminished, do you think that we can still justify using drones in the way that we have over the past few

years? >> well, look. the united states always has right, as does every country to defend itself against an eminent attack. that's a long-standing right. nobody has to be a sitting duck, waiting for somebody to attack them. and if there is no other way to do that and kit be done in a way without causing harm to lots of civilians and everything else, that's a right that the united states has. >> but we know that that hasn't happen. >> yep. >> with regards to our program. we know there have been civilians, women and children who have been killed by drones. we know that to be true. >> yeah. and this is far from any battlefield. a lot of these people seem to be, if they're a threat to anybody, it might be threat to their neighbors, threat to local villages. these aren't necessarily people who have any ability to attack the united states whatsoever. and what is even scarier, what are called the signature strikes which are, you know, people get observed doing things that look like they might be suspicious, and then drones are sent in to kill them.

and that's not the way we operate as a country. that's not the way we operate all over the world. it's certainly not a way that makes any sense for national security of the united states. >> chris anders from the american civil liberties union. chris, thank you so much. appreciate you spending some time with us this saturday. >> thank you. the white house just one of the places that is marking the 25th anniversary of world aids day. coming up, we will look at one campaign that is saving lives, literally all over the world. plus, after the romney/ryan defeat in the presidential election, the republican party is finding their religion as they face the future. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics, even on a saturday. ♪ that's me in the spotlight, losing my religion ♪ and we can save you 10% on ground shipping over the ups store. look this isn't my first christmas. these deals all seem great at the time... but later, not so much. this isn't that kind of deal. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office.

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we continue to follow this developing story in kansas city, missouri, what police say appears to be a murder suicide

involving a 25-year-old nfl player. nbc news at this point has confirmed nfl linebacker javon belcher is the player involved. he allegedly killed his 22-year-old girlfriend at the house they shared with their 3-month-old daughter. following that horrible scene a short time later he reportedly committed suicide in a parking lot near the kansas city chiefs arrowhead stadium. again, this is a developing story that we are following in kansas city. i'm craig melvin. here is a quick look at some of the other top stories making news right now on this saturday. two people are dead after a tour bus crashed into an overpass at miami international airport. three others were taken to a hospital. they are in critical condition. police say the driver was not familiar with the area. the army private accused of leaking thousands of classified documents to wikileaks is back in a military courtroom today. friday prosecutors unveiled what bradley manning identified as a bedsheet which he had tied into a noose. prosecutors were countering

claims that manning's strict confinement amounted to harsh punishment. and a live look right now of the white house, where a red ribbon hangs from the north portico in honor of world aids day. today president obama outlined his national hiv/aids strategy, saying the united states remains committed to fighting the disease. more on world aids day coming up in just a few moments. but right now, back to politics. for now, nearly a month now, republicans have been on this existential search as they preemptively try to prevent another damaging loss in 2016. so what will they come away with at the end of this journey? let's bring in the brain trust right now. boris epshteyn, a contributor to the daily caller. also former aid with the mccain/palin campaign. and erin mcpike is a reporter with real clear politics. she joins us this afternoon from d.c. good afternoon to both of you. >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon to you. >> boris, let's start with jon

huntsman. this is what he said on cnn yesterday about the republican party. and then we'll talk about it on the other side. take a listen. >> we kind of drift in areas where we take on special, you know, fringe issues. and it gets us stuck in these alleyways of life that take our focus away from what is really important for the american people. >> gets stuck in the alleyways of life. does jon huntsman have a point there? hi, has a point to a degree. there is also sour grapes. remember, he did not have a good performance in the primaries, and did not have a stellar primary field. jon huntsman didn't come close. do we need to do soul-searching as republicans? absolutely. is it a good thing, craig? yes. do we need to reinvent the party? no. what we should do is look inside and say if we concentrate on small government, low taxes and national security, we'll do well. and in that, jon huntsman is right. >> and not social issues? >> i think we should stay away from social issues and leave those to the states. because the true conservative,

you don't want the federal government passing any laws or having any regulations as far as abortion goes, guy rights there is nothing in the constitutional that leaves that to the federal government. those are state issues. and if the state of georgia, for example, wants to pass a law that bans guy marriage, should it be allowed to do so. >> that's a conversation for another two or three hours here on msnbc. but i want to bring you in erich mcpike and mike murphy. he made an argument similar to jon huntsman boldly titled can this party be saved. this is what murphy said in part. quote, the republican challenge is not about better voter turnout software. it's about policy. we repel latinos, younger voters and our once solid connection to the middle class on kitchen-table economic issues. that's a pretty powerful assessment. as republicans work on their policy and retool their message, do democrats stand to lose voters? >> well, let me point out

something first here. and that is that republicans were saying the very same things after they lost to president obama in 2008. this is not a new thing for republican party to go through this kind of soul-searching after losing a big and important election. and i think that's the important thing to note here. and that's what mike murphy is kind of saying too. look, they know it's not about technology. it's not about turnout. they do have to focus more on policies that indicator to a broader part of the electorate, and not just this small sliver that they've been talking. to. >> boris, you were making -- >> first of all, every party when it loses a big election, in 2000 the democrats went through it, 2004 they went through. you lose a big election, you have to look inside and see how you win. it's like anything in the world. sports teams are the same thing when they lose. >> it depends on the sports team. >> hopefully. >> you mentioned staying away from social issues. last week we heard from rick santorum, one of the 16, 17

front-runners in the gop field. apparently he may make a comeback in 2016. >> no. >> i don't think so? >> no. >> according to the weekly standard here, he says he is open to running again in four years. you think at this point that is all a bunch of poppycock? >> well, rick santorum could be open to running again, but the republican electorate is not open to having him as a candidate in 2016. i wrote aggressively during the primary campaign saying he should not be our nominee. he is way too polarizing. it goes against what we as republicans or democrats want to do, which is broaden our political spectrum. >> erin mcpike, sometimes i feel some of the folks we talk about that could be potential standard bearers of the gop, we kind of talk about the same folks. there people out there that we aren't talking about who could very well step up over the next few years and become the leader of the party? >> oh, sure. and just today we're talking about the senator-elect from texas, ted cruz. people are beginning to talk about him as a potential

candidate in 2016. but he's just joining the senate. so i don't know if we're going to be seeing more from him or new names. it takes four years to run for president these days. >> sometimes six or seven. stand by, brain trust. we're going to come back to you. coming up, the downfall of jesse jackson jr. the events that led up to his resignation, and who might replace him in congress. we'll have the latest on that. the brain trust will be back with a whole lot more on that and other things as well. don't go anywhere. ♪ with the spark cash card from capital one, olaf gets great rewards for his small business! pizza! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve great rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back

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going to take a few moments right now to look at the political fallout from the fall of congressman jesse jackson jr. jackson, who was reelected for ninth term resigned from office in mid-november. he is facing a federal investigation over his campaign finances, a report in the chicago "sun-times" says that jackson is cooperating with the

feds. i want to bring in congressman bobby rush. he is a democrat from illinois's first district, also a friend and colleague of jesse jackson jr. first of all, let me just start with how is congressman jackson doing right now? >> well, i think that he is progressing. he is very ill. he understands that he is ill. he knows what he has to do in order to get to the next level. and he is trying tenaciously to get to the next level. >> i also understand that you spoke to him just before he resigned. what did he tell you? >> well, basically, he said that -- he said bobby, you know, i don't think i'll be there with you. i can't make it happen. i need to focus all of my energies, all of my intention on my health. and so i will in a few minutes,

he will be issuing my letter of resignation. >> did he speak at all of the federal investigation? >> no. he didn't mention it at all. and frankly, i wasn't looking for him to mention it. to me, his priority is his health. once he gets his health situation, once he gets that where it should be. >> yeah. >> and then other matters will come into play. and i think that he will be able to further make contributions to society. >> what do you know about the inquiries into congressman jackson's campaign financing? >> absolutely nothing. >> okay. i understand a special election to fill the jackson seat, it's been called for next april. among those interested in running former congressman mel reynolds, who held the seat

before jackson. but reynolds, as you know, was forced to resign after being convicted of having sex with an underaged girl and bank fraud charges. what do you think about mr. reynolds running for that seat. >> i think it's that preposterous. i think it's ridiculous. i think the voters of the second congressional district are insulted by the gall of mel reynolds who think they would give him the confidence of come back to the congress. so i think it's really -- you know, it's just horrible. there is no way that the voters of is second congressional district, or i can't imagine any district in america, would send a convicted pedophile to congress. >> congressman bobby rush,

congressman, always good to see you. >> thank you. >> thank you for coming on. i want to bring the brain trust back here on this saturday afternoon. what will the political fallout of jesse jackson jr., what will it mean for the jackson family legacy? erin mcpike of course real clear politics down in d.c. boris epshteyn here with me on the set in new york city. erin, let me start with -- let me start with you. i want to take a look, show you what joanne reed, managing editor of the grio. this is what she wrote in an opinion piece this week. sheer an excerpt. perhaps as he tends to family business, jackson can find a way to be central in the national conversation again, and to restore what has been among the most important black family pedigrees in this country. would you agree that jesse jackson sr.'s current hardship makes it harder for the jackson family to reclaim its political and activist power position? >> oh, i don't think so at all. this is one person and one person's career. and he, after he gets better may very well have a second act.

but the family itself has a number of members who have been very active. i remember back to 1988 at the democratic convention when jackie jackson, who was just 12 years old got up on stage and said if i were old enough to vote, i would vote for my father. and then she along with the rest of her family, which is very large, introduced her father. they've been around for a long time and will continue to have a place in politics, i'm sure of that. >> this is jesse jackson, the father. he said this to the associated press yesterday about his son's resignation. my heartburns. as i always say to my children, champions have to play with pain. you can't just walk off the field because you're hurt. could jesse jackson jr. have weathered the storm, as his father seems to be suggesting? >> that doesn't seem to be a ringing endorsement from his father to his son about quitting, right? >> yeah. >> but let's remember this. talk about the second district in illinois and the voters, what they will stand. they reelected jesse jackson overwhelmingly.

>> in absentia. >> even though he hadn't been there or in congress in months. >> right. >> so let's take a look at the other side of this issue. why did he do it? why do you quit just two weeks after being reelected? do you know what the real reason is? because he is trying to keep his wife out of the grasp of the federal authorities. he's got this huge issue. does he have health issues? yes. but is the problem he is facing with the feds bigger? absolutely. and it's pretty clear, he is attempting to keep his wife out of that problem by quitting now. so it does not look good for the family. >> brain trust is going to stick around. up next, we're going to talk about whether the republican party needs to make a huge change and embrace guy marriage. one former chairman of the party thinks so. but can they do that and still keep a significant portion of their base? you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day.

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in recognition of world aids day, which is of course today, red ribbon tributes are being seen all over the world.

and at least one could make the record books. in the streets of johannesburg, south africa, people tied together red t-shirts to try to make the world's longest aids ribbon. there it is right there, the blood red color of the ribbon meant to symbolize the human toll aids has brought upon humanity, especially, especially for people still fighting the disease on the african continent. >> my name is constance. a lot of people call mecon any. i've had two children before, and i lost all three children to hiv. >> my next guest is the ceo of red, popular worldwide campaign designed to raise awareness and money for those fighting aids. deborah dugan, great to have you with us on this saturday. the one thing that is key to connie's story, and we just heard a snippet of it there, and what has kept her alive is the availability of those drugs, which the red campaign has helped provide to people living

with disease in subsaharan africa. given that aids is now treatable, does that hurt the effort to educate and warn people that it's still a threat? >> no. i think it's got to be both. it's got to be prevention and treatment. and so awareness and money to the global fund is what red is about. red is an organization that tries to engage the private sector, big companies, major brands like starbucks, apple, converse, coca-cola in the fight against aids. and by doing that, we engage youth to really care about these issues. >> cdc came out with the report this week. in that report it shows that hiv cases were up 72% a year, 72% a year in 2010 among young lgbt men, lesbian, guy, transgender men. 57% of which are african-american. how do we stop these increases? >> it's really, really hard. but we can't, you know, sort of rest on our laurels because we

don't see it as much in the united states and in europe. at red we're focused very much on women, because the majority of people now infected are women, six out of ten in subsaharan africa. so we're trying to do the goal of eliminating mother-child transition of hiv by 2015. and could that be the first of an aids-free generation after 30 years of this plague on the planet, and 30 million people have died, and 34 million still infected. >> what else is red doing today to get the point across, and also how folks can help out? >> well, it's world aids day, and instead of rhetoric and reports and all of those things, which is really important for a transparency to monitor the efficiency of what is going on, you can take action. so we have the number one dance record in the world right now with red. it's electronic dance music, dance red, save lives with the

most popular dj in the world, tiesto. so go out and buy from itunes, the record. go to join red.com and buy a lot of red this holiday season. >> red ceo and activist deborah dugan. thank you so much. i do appreciate your time this saturday. >> thank you. >> and i want to close out our earlier conversation about the republican party soul-searching, can they do it in time for 2016. joining the brain trust, angela rye, who is wearing her red dress on world aids day. thank you so much for coming by. boris is back, erin mcpike down there as well. angela, i'll start with you. as the republican party works on make making the tent bigger, wider over the next four years, it's getting advice from former rnc chairman. this is what he wrote in "the wall street journal." he urged the party to embrace marriage equality. he says in part some misperceive

the issue of marriage equality as exclusively progressive, yet what could more conservative than support for more freedom and less government? is that is that part of what could be the silver bullet for the gop now, reaching out to the guy voting bloc? >> i think that's a part of it. i think the main thing we have to remember america generally is we need to figure out way to find a common ground. and the best way to find a common ground is remember that we're all human beings first. i think that they have a lot of work to do not just with the lgbt community, but also with african-american communities and latinos, as well as asians. those are the largest voting blocs. definitely took the president over in this election. and i think they have a lot of soul-searching today, not just with the lgbt community. >> and issues like marriage equality, immigration reform, two issues that were very important for young voters of course this election cycle. those voters, as angela just mentioned overwhelmingly

supported the president. a "new york" magazine article focuses on how young voters apparently are much more liberal than even previous generations. will we see republicans boost their outreach efforts to this demographic over the next four years? and how? >> oh, no question. but let's take marriage equality for just a minute. young voters overwhelmingly, whether they're republicans or democrats do favor marriage equality. i think that this is a generational issue for the republican party. and i point to you this. two years ago in the senate repealed "don't ask, don't tell," if you recall that vote, there were eight republican senators who voted for repeal. five of them were moderates. three of them were very conservative. but they were some of the youngest senators in the upper chamber. and richard burr said at the time this is just something that is going to evolve over time. and i think that's what we're going to see from the republican party. the more and more younger members we see taking higher

profile positions within the republican party, they will probably fall on the side of being okay with marriage equality as well. >> you're okay with marriage equality? >> i'm okay from a constitutional basis. i personally am okay with marriage equality. i have no problem with it whatsoever. i want to live in a state where guy marriage is legal. but looking at the constitution and having studied constitutional law, i do believe like a southern state like georgia, south carolina, or whatever it may be, if they elect a legislature which then says that the guy marriage should not be legal, they have a constitutional right to do so. and that is a truly conservative way, truly constitutionalist way of look agent the issue. and that's what i stand behind. >> really quickly, what do democrats have to do to make sure they don't lose this rapidly and important growing voting bloc? >> i think they have to continue to stay relevant. and one way to do that is to stop seeding morality to the republican party there is another type of gospel. it's called social justice gospel. and that means that you care about things to help bring up the 47% and the rest of america.

you have to continue to protect those types of things like affirmative action and equality on the job and equality in marriage rights. >> social justice gospel. >> i think so. >> you have introduced a new phrase into the lexicon. >> let's not forget that over 60 million people state voted for mitt romney in this election. >> that's what you're hanging your hat on? >> i'm not hanging my hat, but republican ideals very much have a mace in the american political disscattered showers. no question about it. we just need to build on those. >> erin mcpike, social justice gospel. have you heard of this? >> i have not. you learn something every day. >> a big thanks to you, erin mcpike. boris epshteyn, good to see you. and angela rye, a new addition here. thanks for classing up the joint. i do appreciate you stopping by as well. and a big thanks, our biggest thanks, of course to you. thank you so much for spending some time with us on this saturday afternoon. be sure to tune in tomorrow. we enjoyed it so much, we have decided to do it again.

3:00 eastern. 3:00 eastern time. senator kay bailey hutchison will be joining me. we will also be hearing from former president jimmy carter. he will be weighing in on the latest in the middle east conflict as well. and don't forget, right before me, 2:00, "meet the press," david gregory. david will of course have tim geithner among his guests. that's it. that's all for now. be sure to keep it on msnbc for the latest news updates throughout the evening. have a fantastic saturday night. it's time for your business entrepreneur of the week. christine osborne wants you to shop small. the owner of wonder works of a charleston toy store believes in cooperation instead of competition. she has a section dedicated to locally made products to make sure that her customers dollars stay local. why is it that the most impressive technology

often comes with a set of equally impressive instructions ?